‘Only she can do that btw’: Taylor’s hurricane relief contribution is undeniably swift, yet she can’t seem to part ways with her beloved private jets
Taylor Swift, one of the biggest (and richest!) stars in the world, has donated $5 million to hurricane relief efforts. Hurricane Helene made landfall in September 2024, destroying homes and causing 130 deaths. Hurricane Milton has caused devastation across Florida.
Swift’s donation went to Feeding America, a non-profit organization and the largest hunger charity in the United States. The CEO, Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, posted a statement on Instagram thanking Swift for her generosity.
“We’re incredibly grateful to Taylor Swift for her generous $5 million donation to Hurricanes Helene and Milton relief efforts. This contribution will help communities rebuild and recover, providing essential food, clean water, and supplies to people affected by these devastating storms. Together, we can make a real impact in supporting families as they navigate the challenges ahead. Thank you, Taylor, for standing with us in the movement to end hunger and for helping communities in need.”
The Instagram post also included a caption suggesting people could, “Join Taylor if you’re able by donating at the link in our bio.” If enough Swifties follow in her footsteps, Feeding America could see a huge influx of donations. Such is the power of Taylor Swift.
But Swift has been called out recently for misusing her power, too. Her tours have a terrible environmental impact, and she uses private jets frequently, private jets being a huge contributor to carbon emissions. These emissions are heating up the planet and causing disasters like the two recent hurricanes.
Obviously, Swift is far from the only celebrity to use private jets, but she’s one of the most high-profile people who does, and climate activists have noticed. In June of this year, members of the activist group Just Stop Oil broke into the UK’s Stansted Airport, claiming Swift’s jet had recently landed there, and threw orange paint over the parked private aircrafts. One of the two activists, Cole Macdonald, referenced Swift specifically in a statement about the protest, saying, “[T]his system that is allowing extreme wealth to be accrued by a few, to the detriment of everyone else, is destroying the conditions necessary to support human life in a rapidly accelerating never-ending ‘cruel summer.'” “Cruel Summer” was a 2023 hit for Swift.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that Taylor Swift’s donation isn’t a good thing. Swift has always been generous with her money, and frankly a lot of billionaires could stand to follow in her footsteps. But if she wants to make a long-term change to the planet, she needs to ditch the private jets.
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